Effect of astaxanthin on testicular damage induced by cadmium chloride in adult male Wistar rats

The protective role of astaxanthin on human health, including the prevention of cardiovascular disease, prevention of cell aging, refers to the very strong antioxidant properties of this substance. Cadmium is one of the pollutants in ecosystems. This heavy metal acts as a toxin on the reproductive system and destroys the process of spermatogenesis in testicular tissue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of astaxanthin on cadmium chloride induced testicular damage in adult male Wistar rats. In this study, 45 rats were randomly divided into 9 groups. The healthy control group did not receive any treatment. Control group, physiological serum, infertile control group, cadmium chloride (1 mg / kg body weight) by intraperitoneal injection, astaxanthin receiving groups (5, 10 and 20 mg / kg body weight) by gavage and groups They received cadmium chloride and astaxanthin (5, 10 and 20 mg / kg) at the same time. Test samples from testicular tissue homogenates were used to measure oxidative stress parameters. The parameters were analyzed by photometric method with ELISA reader and microplate reader. The results showed that astaxanthin (10 and 20 mg / kg body weight) increased the antioxidant enzymes SOD, GPX and CAT and astaxanthin (10 mg / kg body weight) decreased MDA. Thus, astaxanthin may act as an antioxidant in protecting the rat testis against oxidative stress induced by cadmium chloride.